Extreme Makeovers

I recently stumbled upon a website that is either the result of total genius or of sheer madness, I still haven’t decided which it is. Either way, it is hilariously amusing and makes me look at fast food in a way I could have never imagined I would.

The site is called Fancy Fast Food and is based on a simple, seemingly impossible premise – to make a gourmet meal (visually so at least) out of nothing but purchased fast food. Their tag line is “Yeah, it’s still bad for you – but see how good it can look!” and that truly sums it all up.

Have you ever thought of making beef tortellini out of deconstructed Taco Bell burritos or a silky corn chowder out of a repurposed KFC meal? Probably not. But these folks have.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the site is the effort that obviously goes into creating these dishes. In one recipe, the toppings are removed from a delivery pizza and separated. The bare crust is sliced into strips which are then soaked in water so that they become soft noodles. The pizza toppings are stir fried and placed atop the noodles and garnished with a hoisin sauce made from a diet coke reduction and spinach that has been removed from the original pizza. The result: vegetable chow mein.

Does this concept get your creative juices flowing? If so, the site does encourage contributions from its readers. The rules are that the ingredients used can only be purchased fast food and the one allowable addition is a simple garnish like parsley or chives.

The likelihood that I’ll ever attempt one of these recipes is low, but I so enjoy the humor and detail that goes into these reproductions, that I’m sure I will continue to return to this site if only to see what they come up with next.